OGeez! Owner Presents Plans for Cannabis Gummy Factory on Rutgers Street in Maplewood

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — OGeez! Cannabis presented plans for their Maplewood cannabis gummy factory on July 1.

Committee Member Dean De Luca began the discussion, “Back in 2022, the township committee approved a manufacturing license for OGeez! We have one manufacturing license in town, and OGeez! has applied for it. It required them to find a location in our commercial and industrial area.” He continued to say that OGeez! found a location at 220 Rutgers Street. One of the requirements was to host a day and a night community meeting to explain their operations and obligations.

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Bran Noonan, CEO of OGeez! introduced himself as a former attorney whose mother, Peggy, was a cannabis “pioneer and advocate,” and founded the cannabis company in Arizona in 2014 after medicinal cannabis was legalized there.

“We’re a manufacturer, so we're not a retailer. We're not a dispensary that sells directly to the public. We're a wholesale cannabis edible manufacturer,” stated Bran. He added that they aren’t a cultivator growing cannabis. OGeez! manufactures edible gummies, which doesn’t generate exhaust fumes.

Bran introduced his colleagues Chief Operating Officer Erik Diehn and General Manager Allison Zuckerman — all long-time Maplewood residents who are involved in the community and have children in the school system.

Bran shared his background. “I was an attorney for about nearly 20 years. I initially got into cannabis back in 2017 when I was a partner at a national law firm that became one of the first national law firms that started a cannabis practice group.” He reported that he serviced various clients including his mother’s company.

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He took over Peggy’s operation when she passed away in 2021. Diehn began consulting for the company and then came aboard full time, and soon Allison joined — rounding out their experienced professional team.

“We expect to, as we become operational, employ between 50 and 20 full-time, part-time, salaried and hourly employees. And we also have entered in a community host agreement with the township that provides a variety of benefits, including economic benefits, Bran explained.” He spoke of the “light industrial” location that they will occupy. It’s not near any school, not on a residential block and the traffic impact is low, as it’s just their employees.

He added that the public will not be entering the warehouse, and they have a robust security system with 24/7 video surveillance. Their raw materials are only delivered on a quarterly basis, which they will schedule during off-peak traffic times.

Regarding production, “We don't require any high volumes of water. We don't use any natural gas, which is great because we produce fewer immediate emissions, and we have a low risk of fire,” said Bran. He continued, “We don't produce any disproportionate amount of solid waste at all. We use an all-electric production process, and ideally at some point in time, that allows us to actually explore using 100% renewable energy, because the raw material we use is cannabis extracted cannabis oil.”

According to Bran, they purchase extracted oil from manufacturers and oil doesn’t emit noxious odors that flour emits (baked goods, like brownies, edible manufacturers use cannabis-flour). They aren’t going to advertise or install a large sign, just something small on the door so delivery drivers can find their entrance. He noted that the industry is highly regulated. Employees are trained in kitchen compliance and food handling.

OGeez! employs an electronic seed-to-sale system to track every gummy that is made from inception to sale. They know where every gummy is at every time in the production process. Bran talked about the gummies being stored in secure bolts that are child resistant and have legal warnings for pregnancy use and consumption use. The products also have to pass industry testing requirements.

Bran spoke about their community participation in Arizona as members of trade associations and industry groups, helping other companies communicate with regulators. “We’ve done blood drives. That was something that connects to my mother and her illness (leukemia) and contributed to cancer charities. We want to be good neighbors. We want to contribute to and support the growth of the township, [and] we want to add to the economy of the town as an employer,” he shared.

Bran said entry level jobs to experienced manager jobs will need to be filled. Their minimum hourly wage will be $16 with benefits and paid vacation. He continued, “We will be focusing on three main areas: drug policy reform and harm reduction. We also want to help address the harm caused by the prohibition and the war on drugs, particularly with respect to communities of color.” They plan to work with Fortune Society, an organization that works with ex-offenders to help them with re-entry employment. OGeez! also plans to run food drives and/or fundraising efforts to help combat food insecurities.

In addition, De Luca said that OGeez! will contribute $10,000 annually to the township for drug and alcohol prevention and individual support programs. They are expected to work with local charities and schools like Seth Boyden, first responders, Springfield Avenue Partnership, Hilton Neighborhood Association, MEND, Rent Party and Maplewood Community Fridge and Pantry twice a year.

In addition, OGeez! will work with Maplewood’s Arts and Culture Division to sponsor cultural programs at the 1978 Maplewood Arts Center and the Springfield Avenue gazebo. Plus, they’ll pay a 2% tax to the township on their gross sales.

They are also going to meet with the chair of the Environmental Advisory Committee to review their operation and ensure that it’s as sustainable as possible. OGeez! will also provide an attestation that their odor and noise will comply with all local and state odor noise rules, laws and regulations and address any odor or noise complaints as soon as they are received.

Their delivery vehicles will be similar to the vans that Amazon uses, so there won’t be huge trucks leaving or entering the facility.

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